


One More Weekend

by sergiosbaby



Series: tedstina [2]
Category: Grey's Anatomy
Genre: Angst, Cheating, Established Cristina/Owen, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Songfic, minor smut, this is just really sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:55:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29712672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sergiosbaby/pseuds/sergiosbaby
Summary: Once a year, Cristina visits New York. Inspired by the song "One More Weekend" by Maude Latour.
Relationships: Owen Hunt/Cristina Yang, Teddy Altman/Cristina Yang
Series: tedstina [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2168124
Comments: 3
Kudos: 19





	One More Weekend

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, my lovely readers!
> 
> Yes, it is me again. Try as I might, I'm already at S11 and I still can't seem to get over this adorable pairing! Thanks to constant prompts and ideas popping up in my head when it comes to these two, I now have 15 of these little one-shots waiting in the drafts. However, I have decided to only post the ones that actually give these two justice, hence the new part of this small series! Some notes before you begin:
> 
> 1\. If you are uncomfortable with any form of cheating, PLEASE do not read this fic. Both these characters are very well-aware of what they are doing, and if you don't like that, feel free to skip this one.
> 
> 2\. If you want to really feel the angst and all the emotions, I seriously recommend listening to the song this fic was inspired by, "One More Weekend" by Maude Latour before reading or while you read! It was an extremely huge motivation for me to finish this, and it captures the atmosphere of the one-shot almost perfectly. It will probably make you cry. You have been warned.
> 
> 3\. A lot of the details about New York here are inspired by my own trips to the city!
> 
> 4\. And lastly, please keep in mind that both Teddy and Cristina here are extremely flawed people. I was really hesitant to post this in the first place, since a majority of the fandom holds Cristina at a really high pedestal, and I don't want to ruin that in any way. But the idea for this invaded my head until I absolutely had to write it, and I feel if the Grey's writers put any effort in the tension between these two, maybe Cristina would've actually done this. 
> 
> Oh, and I have no idea if Mass Gen is actually located in New York. It was more for plot's sake anyways, and I don't really care. Happy reading everyone!
> 
> twitter - sergiosaltman

**PART 2**

_ Once a year, Cristina visits Teddy in New York. Established Cristina/Owen, yes it’s cheating. Inspired by the song “One More Weekend” by Maude Latour. _

-

_ one more weekend in the city _

_ break up for the summer, leave me all on my own _

_ one more weekend, can you kiss me? _

_ tell me that you’ll miss me even if you won’t _

_ cause i know you won’t _

-

**_“Flight 263A85B to JFK is now boarding. Please line up by the boarding counter and make way for first-class passengers in order to-”_ **

Blah, blah, whatever. Cristina knew the drill.

It was the same announcement Seattle-Tacoma International Airport made every single year, and Cristina had done this enough times to know the words by heart. It was announced with the same level of enthusiasm she gave Owen whenever Cristina told him about the annual “Cardio Doctors Conference” in New York each year, implying that she would  _ much rather  _ be with him than attend this stupid conference, and that she’ll make it back as soon as possible. 

Even if the annual Cardio Doctors Conference didn’t really exist.

With a long sigh, she opened the handle of her tiny luggage and began making her way towards the boarding counter, thinking about the chocolates she would have to buy Zola as soon as she landed, and her favorite Preta Manger in Times Square that made the best croissants.

Maybe if she was lucky enough, she would even get a kiss too.

That thought was enough for Cristina to make it through the flight, closing her eyes to get some much needed rest.

**DAY 1**

New York was as cloudy as ever by the time Cristina opened her eyes.

She made it out from the airplane rather quickly, wanting to get her luggage before it got lost in an endless sea of other ones. Her phone rings with two text messages from Meredith, the letters on the small screen spelling out “ _ You know this is a bad idea _ ” and “ _ Have fun anyway _ ”.

Cristina leaves her on seen.

After one last passport check and a cup of coffee from Starbucks that  _ probably  _ shouldn’t be 10 dollars, Cristina finally makes it out to the exit of the airport, her hair messy and patience reaching low levels. She scans the crowd in front of her, full of families waiting for relatives and travel representatives holding up tour guide ads. The joy emitting from it all was gut-wrenching.

Maybe she should just call a taxi and get to her hotel as fast as possible, Teddy probably didn’t even think about-

But then she sees a flash of blonde hair and unmistakable green orbs, and she  _ knows _ it’s her.

They run towards each other, the pressure building in Cristina’s lower gut like a geyser about to burst, and for the first time in a year, she’s  _ finally  _ in Teddy’s arms again, and the world feels somewhat right once more, like a final piece of her clicked into place.

" _ You're here _ ."

Teddy’s all bright smiles and sparkling eyes as she nods, lifts Cristina up and kisses her; full of missed passion and desperate longing. Their lips meet in a dance that they both know all too well, reminding Cristina of late nights at Joe’s, successful heart transplants, and the bottles of red wine that they used to drink together. The blonde pulls her closer, her legs tightening around hers, and Cristina doesn’t mind that they haven’t pulled apart for air: Teddy’s kisses were a lot more preferable to oxygen anyway.

Her former attending lets go first, leaving Cristina breathless. “We probably shouldn’t be doing this in an airport.”   
  


Hearing her voice nearly brought tears to Cristina’s eyes, fantasizing about it since she booked the flight last December, and she had to swallow them back before responding.

“Unfortunately, you’re right.” Teddy brushes dust off her coat in a domestic fashion, and Cristina’s heart swoons.

“Wanna get breakfast?”

“As long as Preta Manger still has their croissants.” Teddy smiles at that, and presses another kiss to her lips before lacing Cristina’s hand in hers.

“Croissants it is then.”

🏨

They make it to the cafe in less than 30 minutes, Cristina absentmindedly chewing on her croissant while Teddy begins catching her up on the news at Mass Gen.

“It’s  _ amazing _ , Cristina. The medical trial has only been up for a month and we already have printers for it installed in half the operating rooms. A  _ month _ , can you believe it? Operating on the hearts will be so much easier now that we have the-”

“How are you?” The question seems to catch Teddy off-guard.

“How am  _ I _ ?”

“Teddy, I can hear about the technology from Mass Gen back in Seattle. However,  _ you _ ,” Cristina points a finger to her lover, “I can only hear from once a year. Don’t try changing the subject.”

She sighs. “I started…. Jogging?”

Cristina gave her a knowing look. “You were jogging even  _ before  _ you left Seattle Grace.”   
  


Teddy tries desperately to say something, but no thoughts come to mind. She eventually sets her coffee down. “Work is practically my life now, Cristina. I spend all my days in operating rooms and labs, it’s been forever since I’ve gotten to go outside. Hell, I can’t even remember the last time I had  _ fun _ .”

Cristina affectionately grabs her hand, the pad of her thumb caressing Teddy’s index finger, and it gives her an idea.

“Let’s have fun today, then.”

“What?”   
  


“It’s you and I in  _ New York _ , Teddy. We can be stupid and do all the touristy things you never got to do when you got here, because I’m only here once a year anyway, and-”

“But you come here to join me in surgeries and have sex, and-”   
  
“Do you not want to do it?”

“You don’t even  _ like  _ exploring Cristina, why would you-”

“Because you want to do it.”

“I-”   
  


“Do you want to do it?   
  
“ _ Yes _ , but I-” 

“Then it’s decided.” Teddy opened her mouth to protest one more time, but closed it when she saw the look on Cristina's face. After a silent staring contest, she finally nodded, a smile creeping up her face.

They stood up from the tiny coffee table, Teddy wrapping an arm around Cristina’s waist gratefully as they walked out of the small Preta Manger. Cars and people surround them in a flurry of movement, each building pressed up against the other like mismatched dominos, and for a second, Cristina allows herself to be taken away by the beauty of it all.

As if  _ this  _ was her life, and not the one back home.

“Where do we start?” Teddy asks.

“Wherever you want to.”

🏨

And so they explore.

What was once Dr. Altman & Dr. Yang had been stripped down to just  _ Teddy & Cristina _ , enjoying the world around them for one, small day. They walked through Central Park, said hi to puppies walking around (Teddy nearly went so far as to  _ adopt _ one, but Cristina held her back). 

Lunchtime was spent in an underground food court with the craziest food options imaginable (Cristina bought a lobster sandwich while Teddy had something between ramen and pizza, she couldn’t tell), and they laughed about old memories and former co-workers, reminiscing about the old days when life  _ wasn’t  _ so complicated.

“Do you remember that Andrew guy I dated?” Teddy asked, taking a huge bite out of her pizza.

“Oh yeah, I forgot about him! He was an absolute piece of  _ shit _ , I don’t know how you managed to be with him for that long-”

“Yeah, well, he flew all the way here a couple of months back. Wanted to sleep with me even with his wife and kids waiting back in Europe.”

There was a moment of silence.

“Of course I told him no,” She finally said. “I’m already a homewrecker for one couple. Two is just unreasonable, right?”

Cristina didn't know how to respond.

"Do you regret it? This? Us?"

Teddy scoffs. "No, no, of course I don't. Out of all the decisions I've ever made,  _ this  _ is the one I don't regret." There was a flash of pain in her eyes as she said it, and Cristina wanted to  _ pry _ , wanted to ask what was really going on, but her mouth said something else instead.

"If it boiled down to it, you know who I would choose."

Teddy's eyes sparkle. "I know. How's Owen?"

She knew the question was coming, but it didn't make it any easier for Cristina to answer.

"We're.... okay. We've always been okay. There are times where we argue about kids, but he knows I haven't changed my mind, so we stay the same." Cristina takes another bite of her sandwich. "It's  _ always _ just the same with him."

Teddy's expression is filled with unsaid pity, but they both know better by now than to touch on the fragile subject of Owen Hunt. 

"Let's get out of here? To clear your head?" 

Cristina marveled at how she still knew her so well, even after all these years. The natural  _ sync  _ they possessed was still there.

"Thank you, Teddy."

She gives a tight smile. "Of course."

🏨

The afternoon was spent in expensive shops on 5th avenue, Teddy trying on overpriced lingerie specifically for Cristina's benefit. Making out in the dressing room was somewhat of an added bonus as they left the shop with embarrassed looks on their faces, and shopping bags filled with clothes that Cristina might never even wear.

On a normal day, she would never do this. But this was Teddy Altman, and Cristina would practically move mountains if it meant she was happy.

"It's getting late," Teddy remarked as the sun set beautifully over the Manhattan skyline, wisps of orange tainting the clouds. "Wanna get back to the hotel?"

"Sure, but let's walk."

"You aren't tired?"

"I'd much rather see the sunset with you than ride a taxi." You could see the obvious glee on Teddy's face, and they walk along the streets hand in hand, Cristina's head leaning on her shoulder.

The music of the city moves in time with them, as they laugh over storytimes and distant memories. They kiss, without caring about judgement from the people around them. They dance around blinding street lamps, hum to old songs, and enjoy each other's company in blissful silence.

They are free to  _ love  _ each other in this city, and Cristina resents herself for having such a lovely husband back home, because she could have this instead.

God, when was the last time she felt this  _ happy _ ?

By the time they reached the Marriott hotel, Cristina and Teddy were fueled by the tension from the day's activities, and slammed the door of her hotel room open, clothes flying off and kisses being distributed.

They proved their love to each other that night. Whispers of " _ I want you _ " bounced around every few minutes. Cristina took her time admiring every point of Teddy's body, from the beautiful birthmarks on her back to the curvy details of her hips. 

She felt  _ loved _ , loved for the first time in who knows how long, because Teddy knew how to give her all in a relationship, while her current one never could.

" _ Cristina _ -" She presses a finger to Teddy's lips. No words needed to be said. Their heavy breaths explained it all.

They were a mess, a beautiful, explosive mess, and as they fell into their first orgasms of the night, Teddy held Cristina tightly, as if she was trying to make her stay.

" _ I love you, _ " they both said simultaneously.

It had been 5 years of this. Cristina still couldn’t get enough.

🏨

**DAY 2**

Cristina wakes up to a soft breeze coming out of the hotel room window. Teddy's fast asleep next to her, blankets tangled and body parts intertwined. She smiles. No sight could possibly be more beautiful to wake up to. 

The rays of sun fall upon her lover’s face in soft touches. Her pale skin, no longer touched by melanin due to the consistent cold and cloudy weather New York brought, glew like the smooth surface of a pearl. It almost felt like a dream to Cristina, and she reached out her hand to cup Teddy’s cheek, stroking it slowly so as to not wake her up.

Suddenly, a phone buzzed.

Cristina jumps a little, surprised by the insistent sound so early in the morning. She gets out of bed, puts on a random shirt, and rummages through the room a little, trying to find the source. The phone is revealed to be in the pocket of Teddy’s discarded trousers, where text messages from a "Henry Burton" show up on the screen.

**[8:53am] Henry Burton**

**Are you awake yet? I'm back in the city, was hoping I could take you out for drinks again ;)**

Cristina stares at the message for a few seconds, and then puts the phone down. The last thing she needed to be doing was invading Teddy's privacy, and besides, she would probably deny this Henry guy’s offer again anyway.

_ Probably _ .

Right on time, Teddy's body begins stirring on the bed, and she sits up sleepily, hair messy with the blanket over her as a cover.

"Hghh- morning."

"Good morning. You look great when you wake up like that." Teddy blushes, then groans loudly and falls back onto the bed. 

"What  _ time  _ is it?"

"Nine am."

"That's way too early. Come back here and sleep again."

"Who's gonna make breakfast?"

"Cristina, we're in a hotel. Let room service worry about food."

Shaking her head, Cristina walks back to the bed, where Teddy pulls her down with a grin on her face. Just like that, with her on top of Teddy and all the important things in the world confined to this one hotel room, life was perfect.

But it was  _ still  _ bothering her.

And Cristina Yang being Cristina Yang, she had to say it out loud.

"You can say yes to him, you know."

Teddy looks up at her, bewildered. "What in the world are you talking about?"

Almost instantly, Cristina regrets saying anything at all. But there was no going back now, and she let out a heavy sigh as she left the bed and retrieved the phone from Teddy's trousers.

"Henry, I mean." She holds the phone up to Teddy's face, and the blonde scoffs.

"Don't mind that. I don't like him all that much anyway-"

"Why? Why won't you date anyone else?"

"Cristina-"

"It's been 5 years, Teddy. And not once have you told me about a boyfriend, a girlfriend, or even a goddamn  _ date _ . Why won't you allow yourself to be happy?"

Cristina's words seemed to have struck something in Teddy. She looks down at the bed, her eyes suddenly filling with glistening tears. After a few minutes of silence, she looks up again.

" _ Isn't that obvious by now? _ "

🏨

They fight. It happens every year. Cristina more or less added it to their annual schedule; reunite, have fun, have sex, and then fight the day before she left.

This year seemed to be no different.

"Look, Teddy, I-"

"I  _ don't know _ , Cristina. Maybe I've never dated because I already found the person for me? Maybe because the love of my life lives  _ cross-state  _ with a fucking  _ husband  _ and only visits me once a year to make up for it?" Teddy put on her oversized sweater and began pacing around the room. "Fuck, Cristina, you make me block your number on my phone the entire year because you don't even want me to  _ talk to you _ when you're with Owen."

"Because that's what we  _ agreed _ on when you left!? You know I won't be able to resist you if you talk to me every hour of every day-"

"And  _ what  _ is so wrong with that?" Teddy presses a hand to her mouth in a minor attempt to keep the tears in, which did almost nothing. "Is the thought of you and I together  _ really  _ that repulsive?"

"Teddy, you know I love you-"

"Then why do you  _ never  _ stay?" Tears begin rolling down her face, and Cristina feels the ones in hers starting to form. "What does he have that  _ I _ don't?"

Cristina swallows hard in an attempt to explain. "I love you. Teddy, I love you  _ so  _ much that it almost hurts, but Owen-"

"I love Owen too." Cristina finally says. "He gives me stability, and you give me chaos. In another universe, I would choose you, but with my  _ career _ and my  _ life _ , I-" Cristina tries to get the words out. "He's willing to give up things for me in order to let me succeed. I could never let you do that."

Quiet sniffles come from the opposite end of the room, where Teddy stands.

"So, what, we're just gonna continue doing this? Every year? As if it’s okay?"

Tentatively, Cristina walks over to where she stands, and when Teddy showed no signs of protest, she took both her hands in hers.

"You  _ find someone _ , Teddy. Fall in love with someone that isn't me."

Teddy snorts. "As if I could  _ ever  _ fall in love with someone that isn't you."

The words echo like an overplayed record between them, and in that very moment, Cristina considers what it would be like if they chose each other: her divorcing Owen, flying to New York, Cristina moving into Teddy's apartment, the proposal, the wedding. 

It was beautiful. But it was too much.

" _ Try _ . Try Teddy, for me. Please."

They stayed like that for a while, foreheads pressed together and hands clasping the other's, until slowly, Teddy began nodding.

"I'll try."

"Promise?"

"I- I don't know." Teddy's words were shaky, and Cristina felt  _ guilty _ , guilty for leaving the love of her life like this while she had a husband to go home to at the end of it all.

"That's okay. I just need you to try."

"God, we-" Teddy sniffles. "We are  _ so  _ messed up."

Cristina wraps her into an embrace, and pulls her closer.

"Maybe it's okay to be messed up sometimes."

**DAY 3**

Cristina was gonna be late to her flight.

It was all Teddy's fault, really. After the fight that lasted almost two hours, they ordered room service and stayed in the rest of the day, occasionally having sex in between the trashy comedy movies they were watching. It was pure, unedited bliss, but they really should've thought about setting an alarm before going to sleep at 2:00am.

At the end of the day, it didn't matter all that much. What mattered was that it would be another year, 365 whole days until they could see each other.

_ Again _ .

The realization only settles in when Cristina finishes fastening her seatbelt inside Teddy's car, and she stares at her lover beside her the entire car ride to the airport, which seems to freak Teddy out.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

"Just want to soak you in as much as possible before I go."

"You know, there are plenty of pictures for you to look at, I took a ton on your phone last night-"

"But it isn't the  _ same _ , Teddy!" The blonde laughs.

"I'm gonna miss you." Cristina sheds a tear at that statement, and tries her best to cover it up with a cough. 

"I- I'm gonna miss you too."

The car stops in front of the airport entrance, both Cristina and Teddy getting out to unload the luggage from the front. They finished the task rather quickly, and turned to face the other once more.

Cristina wastes no time in pulling Teddy's lips to hers one last time, a small reminder of what she was going to be leaving. Hot tears mix within them, not knowing whether it was Teddy's or hers, but she didn't care.

It was their last. They had to make it count.

They gasp for air as they seperate, and Teddy rests her head on Cristina's neck as she tries to find words.

"Just let me  _ call you _ , Cristina. We can make it work, we can be casual, it doesn't have to be this way-"

"Teddy, we say the same thing every year." She holds the blonde's face in both her hands. "It  _ needs  _ to be this way."

The both of them can't seem to stop crying, and before Cristina turns to leave, Teddy grasps her arm one last time. 

She turns to face her lover, all red cheeks and blotched tear stains.

"Don't give up on me Cristina. Even if I date, even if I fall in love with someone else- don't give up on us, okay?"

Cristina swallows thickly. The thought  _ alone  _ of Teddy having someone else made her blood boil.

"Okay."

"Promise?"

Cristina presses her lips to Teddy's cheek one last time and smiles. "I promise."

Their hands finally let go, and Cristina walks towards the airport doors, not daring to look back just in case she received one last urge to stay. A notification from her phone popped up, and she quickly checked it before she had to pass through security.

**[10:05am] Owen Hunt**

**I know you're going home today. Have a safe flight.**

**Love you.**

Text messages like these used to make her feel bad. Here Owen was, giving her his best while she-

_ Cheated. You're a cheater. _

Cristina sighs.

Maybe one day she would realize this was all a mistake. Maybe Owen would find out, or Teddy would fall in love with someone better than her, and all of it would be her fault.

**[10:06am] Cristina Yang**

**Love you too.**

But Cristina couldn't decide between both. She didn't know if she ever could.

So she chose not to feel any guilt instead, as she blocked Teddy's number once more and booked the flight for next year.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to everyone who read! Please leave a kudos and your thoughts down in the comments, I love seeing them <33


End file.
